Tag Archives: UT Dallas

Richland College student Ezra Calado was recently named one of 11 Terry Transfer Scholars at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) for the 2016-2017 school year. This highly competitive scholarship provides full tuition for up to three years of undergraduate or graduate study, housing, a stipend for other college-related expenses and funding for a separate study abroad semester.

“I was really relieved and shocked when I found out I received the Terry Transfer Scholarship,” said Calado. “I set a goal in high school that I would graduate college debt free, and I thought it would be impossible because I knew that transfer scholarships at full tuition level were very competitive. I’m sure that UTD will be a place that can elevate my leadership experiences and help me grow as a student and future professional.”

The Terry Transfer Scholarship is awarded to non-traditional students who are transferring from a Texas community college, are pursuing their first baccalaureate degree and have been accepted for admission to a Terry-affiliated public university in Texas. Recipients are chosen based on academic excellence, leadership experience in their school and community and financial need. Calado was invited to apply to the Terry Transfer Scholarship program by UTD, where she completed a rigorous application and interview process before being accepted to begin in fall 2016. She will major in accounting and global business and minor in international political economy.

“I’ve known Ezra for two years, as she is an honors student at Richland and executive vice president of the Honors Student Organization,” said Kathleen Stephens, Ph.D., coordinator of the Richland College Honors Academy. “Ezra is deserving of this scholarship because she has enthusiastically served the other honors students through her leadership, her dedication to her honors courses, and her exceptionally uplifting, cheerful attitude toward everyone she meets and works with at Richland. She is an outstanding Thunderduck, and UT Dallas will benefit from her commitment to her education and her leadership skills. Richland College, especially the honors program, will miss her, and we are very proud of her.”

In addition to serving as the executive vice president/vice president of events for the Honors Student Organization, Calado also served as the vice president of the Student Government Association and was a DCCCD Muse Scholar, a 2014 APIASF AANAPISI Scholar, and a Phi Theta Kappa member during her time at Richland College. Calado was also named the 2016 Amidon-Beauchamp Richland Student Leader of the Year, which is an award given annually to one student leader on campus.

Although Calado is very involved in Richland College, she stays active in her community as well. She was crowned Miss Teen Asian American Texas 2012-2013, where she advocated for stronger cultural identity in the local Asian community, along with the inclusion of the arts in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. Currently, she uses this platform while working on more recent projects, including a crowd-sourced digital companion that will assist refugees and immigrants by helping them to better integrate into their new communities. Her future goals include going to law school, becoming a human rights lawyer and finding a role in public policy. She hopes to strengthen the presence of Asian women in politics, influence legislation and break down the economic barriers that hinder the creation of practical policies in human rights affairs.

“Attending Richland College has been the best decision I’ve made for my future,” said Calado. “While the price and location are a plus, it’s actually the opportunities that I’ve had the privilege of utilizing that have made me successful. I thought that I would be an uninvolved student just trying to finish class because I couldn’t imagine being involved on campus with a baby at home. However, the environment at Richland is so unique, and there’s no discrimination when it comes to involvement and enriching yourself. If you want to be a leader, or if you want to be involved, it doesn’t matter what your identity is; there’s an opportunity for you.”

The Terry Foundation is one of the largest providers of private scholarships in Texas. It has awarded scholarships to more than 4,200 students in Texas since it was established in 1986. Howard and Nancy Terry created the foundation in order to give aid to students who showed promise of future leadership distinction who may not otherwise be able to attend college. Terry Scholars are made up of transfer students and freshmen students, who are challenged to reach their highest potential in scholarship, leadership and service to their university, the state of Texas and the world. Approximately $3 million in stipends have been given this year to Terry Scholars at UTD.

Richland College will host three types of youth camps in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields this summer. These summer camps will introduce young students to various STEM industries, including programming and game design, animated and sculptural art and robotics.

“Richland College is thrilled once again to be hosting such exciting summer camps,” said Heather Lozano, Richland College’s assistant dean of continuing education and workforce training. “These camps are really a win-win for parents and their children—parents are sending their children to a wonderful learning environment, and the kids are having a great time at camp as they explore these STEM subjects.”

In partnership with the University of Texas at Dallas, Richland College will host a programming summer camp, where campers will learn Scratch, Logo, JavaScript and GameMaker. The sessions will be July 6-10 and July 27-31 and will be split into levels: level one will be for grades three through five, and level two will be for grades six through eight. Campers in level one will attend camp in half-day sessions from either 9 a.m.- noon or 1:30-4:30 p.m. and will be provided computers. Level two campers will attend full-day sessions from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and they will be required to bring a laptop.

New this summer, Richland College will be offering a dynamic art summer camp for children age seven to 12 in partnership with Dynamic Art Design. Campers will create unique animated art projects that incorporate visual designs that the students arrange as their own creations, combining art and technology while also challenging the children to explore the relationship of these ideas with the use of motors, gears and pulleys to take their artwork to an exciting new level. The three sessions for this camp take place June 8-12, July 6-10 and Aug. 27-31, with both morning and afternoon sessions offered from 9-11:30 a.m. and 12:30-3 p.m. respectively.

Teaming up with Robots 4 U, Richland College will also offer its robotics summer camp. This camp combines computer science and engineering with daily robotics challenges and an end-of-the-week competition. Each session is mostly hands-on and includes individual design, building and creating up to seven robots. While beginners are welcome, all levels will find this camp challenging and fun. This camp is for ages seven to 17, and the three sessions take place July 22-26, July 20-24 and Aug. 17-21. Morning and afternoon sessions will be offered at 9-11:30 a.m. and 12:30-3 p.m., and campers should bring their own lunches and drinks.

Registration is currently open for all camps. Space is limited, so early registration is suggested for all camps. For information on all summer camps, including links to registration, visit www.richlandcollege.edu/summercamps.

All three camps will be located on the Richland College campus. Richland College is located at 12800 Abrams Rd. in Dallas.

The first week of camp, held June 16-20 at Richland College, focused on “Water: Ubiquitous and Unique.” The girls learned about the various properties of Earth’s most important resource in the contexts of sustainability and ecology. The curriculum included experiential learning activities in the sciences as well as in 3-D art, learning strategies and college readiness skills. Each afternoon, the girls experienced the physics and fun behind the hula hoop.

“We saw the girls grow a lot,” Dr. Dean says. “It was a very intense learning community. This week sets the stage for thinking routines and helping the girls see connections. The girls created ePortfolios to showcase their experiences. They will be able to look back on this week and realize how they’ve become stronger, smarter and bolder.”

Dr. Dean said another important goal was achieved — introducing the girls to a pathway more and more students take to pursue higher education: the community college experience. Richland has some 20,000 credit students and offers Richland Collegiate High School (RCHS), a dual-credit charter high school.

“We planted important seeds for them,” she says. “The girls really enjoyed being on the campus and we introduced them to RCHS. They were excited to consider options. I believe we had a positive influence on their aspirational goals for higher education.”

Next week, June 22-27, the girls will experience campus life at UT Dallas, living in dorm suites, finding out what it takes to apply for college and participating in learning activities in bioengineering, nanotechnology, forensic science, robotics and space science.

At UT Dallas, the girls also will have the opportunity to connect with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals from the university and Dallas’ business community. Evenings will be filled with fun activities such as karaoke, Zumba and movies. The week culminates with a field trip to Texas Instruments.

Expanding the horizons of the young women selected to participate is a significant goal of the camp, says Lori Palmer, CEO of Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas.

“Girls Inc. SMART Summer College Camp will awaken the potential in middle school girls as they explore the life of a full-time college student and discover opportunities in STEM fields,” Ms. Palmer says. “We encourage girls to explore STEM fields because research demonstrates that women employed in STEM careers earn an average of 33 percent more than those employed in other fields.”

Bernine Khan, UT Dallas’ SEEC director, says UT Dallas is thrilled to host week two of the camp because while the university is distinguished for its strength in STEM education and research, females make up only about 43 percent of the student body.

“Females, in general, represent a hugely untapped resource of potential STEM professionals in our nation, and when compounded with low socio-economic and cultural issues, the pathway to a successful STEM career is stymied,” Dr. Khan says. “The program introduces these girls to the flavors of STEM careers through interactions with female STEM professionals. If the girls ultimately choose a non-STEM field, it will be an informed choice with the full knowledge that their intrinsic ability had no bearing on their decision.”

The three organizations worked together to develop the Girls Inc. SMART Summer College Camp, a two-week learning experience for 20 Dallas-area girls entering 8th grade, to expand the horizons of the young women selected to participate.

“Girls Inc. SMART Summer College Camp will awaken the potential in middle school girls as they explore the life of a full-time college student and discover opportunities in STEM fields,” says Lori Palmer, CEO of Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas. “We encourage girls to explore STEM fields because research demonstrates that women employed in STEM careers earn an average of 33 percent more than those employed in other fields.”

Bernine Khan, UT Dallas’ SEEC director, says the camp is designed to help girls dream big. The University of Texas at Dallas is ascending the ranks, quickly becoming recognized as one of the top schools by the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings. While the university is distinguished for its strength in STEM education and research, females make up only about 43 percent of the student body.

“Females, in general, represent a hugely untapped resource of potential STEM professionals in our nation, and when compounded with low socio-economic and cultural issues, the pathway to a successful STEM career is stymied,” Dr. Khan says. “The program introduces these girls to the flavors of STEM careers through interactions with female STEM professionals. If the girls ultimately choose a non-STEM field, it will be an informed choice with the full knowledge that their intrinsic ability had no bearing on their decision.”

The first week of the Girls Inc. SMART Summer College Camp, held June 16-20 at Richland College, will focus on “Water: Ubiquitous and Unique.” The girls will explore the various properties of Earth’s most important resource in the contexts of sustainability and ecology. The curriculum includes experiential learning activities in the sciences as well as in 3-D art, learning strategies and college readiness skills. Each afternoon, the girls will learn about the physics and fun behind the hula hoop.

Sherry Dean, Richland College speech communication professor and Girls Inc. board member, says Richland College administrators see the camp as an intentional effort to grow and nurture future female scientists and engineers while introducing the girls to a route more and more students take to pursue higher education – the community college experience. Richland has some 20,000 credit students and offers a dual-credit charter high school.

“Many people do not know that 42 percent of all first-time college freshman in 2013 were enrolled at two-year institutions such as Richland College,” Dr. Dean says. “We anticipate that many Girls Inc. girls will also make Richland an important part of their higher education experience.”

The second week of the Girls Inc. SMART Summer College Camp (June 22-27) will immerse girls in campus life at UT Dallas. The girls will live in university dorm suites, find out what it takes to apply for college and participate in learning activities in bioengineering, nanotechnology, forensic science, robotics and space science.

At UT Dallas, the girls also will have the opportunity to connect with STEM professionals from the university and Dallas’ business community. Evenings will be filled with fun activities such as karaoke, Zumba and movies. The week culminates with a field trip to Texas Instruments.